User blog:TrackMaster'sbiggestcollector/TrackMaster redesign thoughts
Hello fans! I am back and I will be giving my thoughts on the redesigned 2014 TrackMaster line. I know many have been complaining about the redesigns but I will give my opinion on the matter. I absolutely hate the new redesign. They sacrificed the quality and the way they ran just so they can be faster and climb steeper hills? All they had to do was keep the old models and modify the motors so they can be faster and modify the traction tires so they can climb hills better and THAT would have enhanced their performance without making them look and run ugly. They didn't have to redesign the tracks either. If they wanted to make the range better, then they should have made the engines and sets look closer to the actual show, but Mattel wants to ruin the TrackMaster range instead. Here are my complaints on this new line, and I will simply make a numerical list for reference. 1.) Lack of compatibility with earlier track systems. Fisher-Price, how can you make redesigned engines that aren't even compatible with the TOMY or TrackMaster accessories? Why can't new engines pull a simple unloaded train up a simple hill with old track? The new engines can't even pull older rolling stock. On top of that, on the Gordon's Hill and Sodor Spiral Expansion Packs, there are deep grooves on the top of the hill which has no riser to support it. As a result, old engines get stuck there. The Avalanche Escape Set has the gap which engines soar across. The clip that holds the engine in place is shortened. In other words, the new wheels are massively overhauled. The new engines' activation tab is too low and can't grip on the TOMY or Old TrackMaster track and gets stuck on every stop and go, and switch. The wheels are a hard nylon type which doesn't grip anything except their new flimsy track. We have spent hundreds to thousands of money to have the old track system and a collection of engines, rolling stock, and accessories. And now you are asking us to buy some more and start from scratch? NO WAY! Why are there even adapters which connect the grey track to the tan track if the new engines aren't compatible with old track and old engines aren't compatible with the new track? HiT Toys was wise to give us adapters which connected the tan track to the blue track. This worked out because TOMY's engines could run on the tan track and TrackMaster engines could run on the blue track but the new engines and old engines don't work on either kind. I really feel for parents and kids who will be disappointed when their new engines can't run on old track they previously bought and will waste money on the cheap, poor quality track. They're simply forcing consumers to buy the new engines and track to get the new trains to run well even though they are the same gauge as previous trains. Either make the engines continuously compatible with older accessories, or advertise it as a new brand altogether. We aren't little kids Fisher-Price, we all know what you do, and we all want quality. 2.) Weaker track. The new grey track is very flimsy and is very cheap. It looks like someone could easily bend and break the track in half even if they didn't try. It also looks like it's very hard to put together and take apart. When the track is together, there are both vertical and horizontal stresses, coupled with the physical stress of taking the track apart. Parents who buy the track will realize their track won't be as sturdy over time as when it came out of the box. But you just slap on the boxes of track packs and sets "Stronger Connectors?" Then you state that the track is easy to connect? Lies and more lies, Mattel. Don't mislead kids like this. 3.) Bad engine designs. On the boxes of the redesigned engines, it says "More Realistic". Oh, so all of us fans are supposed to believe that? No, we don't. All of the engines don't have painted buffers, no front couplings, and no white running boards. They are also missing details like windows that should have been put on from the factory. The engines have incorrect wheel arrangements ex. Edward is a 2-6-0 locomotive like James instead of a 4-4-0 like in the show. The engines are also out of proportion. When the new redesigns are compared to the engines of the show, and when the old models are compared to the show, the old models look WAY more accurate than these. They made all the engines the same size which means the tender engines, like Hiro and Spencer, look like saddle tanks. Even Take-Along/Take-n-Play didn't squish them this much! Why do all of the engines have the same chassis? When the engines need new batteries, they might put the body on the wrong chassis. I remember that the engines' chassis weren't interchangeable and it was perfect. The redesigns look horrendous and are less realistic to the older models. The rolling stock looks WAY too squished up and the older rolling stock is better and more accurate than this. Consumers are definately smarter than you think Fisher-Price. 4.) No free-wheel ability. Tomy, HiT, and Fisher-Price (late 2009-2014) were quite ingenious to make their engines both battery-powered and push-along. If you didn't want to watch the trains run by themselves, you could turn the motor off and control it by hand. With the new models you can't do that, because the wheels are constantly locked. It takes away from the kids who like to push their engines instead of having it run on their own but now they are forced to use batteries to run them. Also for those of us who make remakes and episodes of our own, no more pulling with strings with these new models. 5.) Packaging. They horribly packaged their sets, anyone can rip the box and steal the contents inside. The older models with sticks that held the engine in was perfect, which is why there were holes in the wheels, but now the engines are held in by plastic blisters. Despite this, they STILL have the holes in the wheels! Fisher-Price, you really have to get it together, because ever since you took over the TrackMaster line, the quality of the toys has plummeted to almost no quality and no effort put in. 6.) Fragile couplings. In ucwepen's review of the Water Tower set, you can see that he can pull the rolling stock apart and it not being a hard pull, the engines can leave the trucks on the track and crash into it later. There is no point in even having them pull long goods trains because the couplings are very weak. 7.) Hazards. This had completely slipped out of my mind when I was writing this. They designed these toys as a hazard for children left and right! The traction tires look like gears which look spiky. And it is possible that it can harm kids. To make matters worse, the siderods are easier to pull off. Those things are CHOKING HAZARDS Fisher-Price! 8.) Marketing. We all know on the boxes of the new TrackMaster items that it says ages 3-6. Oh, so does that mean that me and other people out there shouldn't be into Thomas and Friends, Fisher-Price? No, it doesn't! Teens and adults still play with Thomas toys, and that's just the way it is. It's not embarassing for adults to play with this. Should we really expect parents in the right mind to re-buy their child's entire TrackMaster collection? No. Do you, Mattel and Fisher-Price, expect the fans and collectors to do the same? No, IT WON'T HAPPEN. 9.) Feedback. This really doesn't pertain to the redesign itself, but I feel it is worthy enough to mention on my blog anyway. I've seen people on youtube say things such as "Enjoy it like a real Thomas fan" or "The old models had bad designs too, so give the new ones a chance". The thing is, I, like other people, have entered it with an open mind, but is less than impressed. Even if we were, if we don't give feedback, positive or negative, then things will never change. (Example: Season 15. If we, as fans, didn't give negative feedback, Hit Entertainment never would have had the motivation to change the show for the better.) The same applies here. The unrealistic models, the lack of compatibility with earlier track systems produced, the weaker track, and the lack of freewheeling is simply not fair to consumers, collectors, fans, parents and kids alike. Moves like these really show the greediness in some people, and Fisher-Price has turned into one of those companies that just slap stuff together and just wants your money. This line is simply a money attack by Fisher-Price/Mattel on the consumer, and looks more like a knock-off than an official product. It looks like it came from a different company that didn't know about the Thomas and Friends franchise. I know the people at Mattel are saying, "but it's for kids". But that's no excuse to make a poor quality product. Thomas toys have always been an example of high-quality toys for children and this just drives such a trusted name through the mud. These deserve no more or no less than these 3 words: Disgraceful, Disgusting, and Despicable. If you hate the redesigns like I do, I suggest you go to your local store and buy up on all the old engines, rolling stock, accessories, and sets before they're taken off the shelves forever unless the old TrackMaster makes a comeback. Because once this redesigned brand is out, that's one less piece of Thomas & Friends merchandise I'm collecting. I'll only buy Motor Road and Rail, Plarail, and 2007-2014 TrackMaster on eBay. Why call the new redesigns TrackMaster? I mean it's not even like the old TrackMaster anymore. They will lose too much money on this since most of us aren't buying it, and parents returning their sets and no further accessories bought won't help them either. Leave your opinion in the comments below. Category:Blog posts